Never The Same
by Naturally Reckless
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles about moments in Will Solace's life.  Will feature minor characters like Nyssa, Pollux, and Castor later on. Rated T for minor cussing. New Drabble: PDA  Nyssa/Pollux
1. Brothers

**A/N: This is basically a collection of one-shots about Will Solace and friends. Other minor characters like Nyssa, Pollux, and Castor will appear, as well as two OC's Olivia and Leah. One other character, Austin isn't really mine, because his name was mentioned during the battle on the Williamsburg Bridge in the Last Olympian, I'm just making his character. I also apologize for the use of OC's for those who don't like them; I find it rather ironic that I'm one of the those people, but anyways they're here because I needed minor female characters with certain godly parents.**

Brothers:

Summary: The first one-shot in this collection. Basically, a ten year old Will meets a new friend, who just might appear later on. This one only features Austin and Will (They don't know anything about demigods during this).

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series belongs to Rick Riordan. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment.

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><p>Brothers<p>

_Ring, ring_

I looked up at the door of my mom's music store to see a lady and a boy walk in. I was currently practicing playing one of the guitars sold in the instrument store. It's not a very big building, but it's near the beach and one of the most popular instrument shop in all of Santa Cruz. My mom and I live on the second floor, that way we are always around to run the shop.

Santa Cruz is a surfer town along the coast of California, but not too many people live here. The beach here is ideal for surfing because there are barely any sharks or jellyfish in the crystal clear water.

"Um, hello, can I help you?" I asked quickly, setting the guitar back. I stood up and brushed my hands against my pants as the lady walked up to me.

"Are there any _adults_ that work here?" she snarled. Just one look at this lady, and anyone could tell you she was one of those snobby, elitist socialites. It made me wonder why she came to a tiny instrument shop in a surfer town.

"Yes, ma'am, let me go get someone," I answered politely. I ran into the back room behind the counter where my mother was handcrafting a guitar.

"Mom, we have a customer," I said.

"Ok, sweetie, I'll be right out." She set down the half-finished guitar and followed me back to the people.

"How can I help you?" My mom asked politely, but I could tell she had the same opinion as I had of the lady.

"Daphne Cromwell," The lady snapped, "My son Austin here wants a custom guitar. Price is not an issue." She turned to the boy. "I'll send a driver to pick you up later. Tell this woman - "

"- Jenna Solace - " My mom filled in.

"- Tell her what guitar you want. _Stay out of trouble_." The way she said the last part made it sound more like "_Don't mess up my image"._

Her son nodded and she walked briskly out of the store. I looked out of the clear glass door as the lady hopper into a limo. The boy, on the other hand, began looking at the guitars with interest.

"Do you know what kind of guitar you want sweetie?" My mom asked him.

He looked shocked briefly, but then motioned to a acoustic guitar. "This kind."

My mom reached over and picked up the guitar. "Do you want it custom made? Like a smaller size or a different color?"

The boy contemplated it for a moment. "Can I get a red guitar made for my size now, and a black one for when I'm grown?"

My mother nodded and began going over the details with him. I studied him curiously, having nothing else to do.

He looked about eleven or twelve judging by his face, but he was easily a foot taller than me. He also radiated rich and snobby, like his mother. His shirt, a maroon v-neck with sunglasses hanging in the collar, reeked of cologne. Over his shirt was a custom white leather jacket, black skinny jeans with a single thin silver chain, the end of a white canvas belt dangling around his right thigh , and shiny red high tops. His bleach blonde hair was cut short; all messy like someone had ran their hands through it, and stiff from whatever gel had been rubbed in it. He constantly shifted the strap of his black backpack around on his shoulder.

"Alright dear, it'll be a while," my mom told the boy, "Will, why don't you go play with Austin? See what he would like to do while I make his guitars."

"Okay mom."

I turned to the boy. "So…"

" 'Sup."

"So, your name's Austin?" I asked.

"Yep." He said, popping the 'p', "What's yours?"

"Will Solace."

"Solace. That's a cool last name," he nodded.

"Thanks," I said, "So…uh, what would you like to do?"

He mulled it over. "You play hoops?" he finally asked.

"Hoops?" I asked, confused.

"Hoops. Basketball," he explained.

"Oh," I nodded, "I've never really played it before."

"Never played hoops?" he stared at me like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Well I guess you better try now. Do you know anywhere we can play?"

I sighed. "Well, there's an old backboard hanging over the driveway in the back. I don't have a ball though."

He grinned. "I've got us covered. Lead the way." I gave a faint smile and began to head out back. I held him out the front door, down the porch steps, along the sidewalk, into the small parking lot out back. A worn wooden backboard with a rusty hoop hung above the door to the garage where my mom parked her car. Palm trees provided us with shade from the sun and the sea breeze kept the air cool.

"So you have a hoop out in your backyard but you've never played hoops before?" Austin patronized.

I shook my head, as did Austin.

"Doesn't the pavement burn your feet?" he asked, motioning to my bare feet. Because of living on the beach, I have rarely ever worn shoes.

"I'm used to it. I don't really wear shoes a lot," I answered.

Austin plopped his backpack down on the ground and unzipped it. He pulled out a bright orange basketball. It must've been new because it looked spotless.

"Let's play," he grinned, tossing the ball from hand to hand. "All you do is aim for the hoop. It if bounce it off the backboard, it'll go in. Each basket is worth two points. First one to twenty points wins."

He passed me the ball. I held it, watching him as he took his jacket, then his shirt with the Ray Bans off and stuffed them into the backpack.

"Workin' on my tan," he explained, motioning to his bare torso. I didn't understand why because to me, he looked tan already. He also looked older without the shirt, with his chiseled chest that matched his chiseled face.

I passed the ball back to him so I could take off my own shirt as well.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yep." I nodded and we began to play.

Honestly, I did much better than I expected. Even Austin was amazed at how good I was for never playing before. The game ended 20 – 18 with Austin victor. I don't really know why I was so good, just that it felt natural to me.

"Good game," I grinned at him, sweat dripping off my face.

He looked shocked, that no one had ever said that to him before. "You too."

"You want to go grab a water or something?" I asked.

"Sure."

"You might want to take your shoes off," I recommended.

He nodded and threw he shoes with his other stuff. "Hot, hot!" he yelled, hopping around on the pavement.

I laughed as we began jogging towards the sand. Luckily, we only had to go the length of a football field to get to the beach.

"That'll be two bucks," the guy at the water stand said, handing us the bottles.

I began frantically digging around in the pockets of my cargo shorts.

"Here, and keep the change," Austin said, handing the guy a hundred dollar bill. The guy just stared at it before putting it in the register.

"You have that guy a ninety-eight dollar tip," I stared at Austin like he was insane.

Austin just shrugged. "I've got more money." He took a sip of the water and looked at the sand as he walked.

"So, you got any siblings?" I asked him as we began walking along the shore. Surfers slowly began to get out of the water and the sun started to set.

"Nope. My mom didn't even want to have me," he muttered.

"Why not?"

"She never wanted kids because they're work. Plus she's a model and she didn't want to ruin her figure," he explained, "She only had me as an accident. She got drunken one night at a bar, and, well…. that stuff. My dad never knew about me. My mom said he left her before she could even say goodbye. I hate his guts."

"Oh." I looked around at the ocean. "My dad left my mom too. She always says I look just like him."

"What happened to you dad?" he asked.

"My mom said he had to go bring sunlight to the world. So maybe he's a missionary or a priest or something. Maybe he's a soldier fighting in the war or something, she'll never give me a straight answer," I said.

We were both quiet for a while. It was Austin who broke the silence. "So, how old are you?"

"Ten," I answered, "You?"

"Eleven."

Another awkward silence filled the air.

"We better get back," I said.

"Yeah."

He didn't say another word until he had to go. It was seven o'clock and the limo driver had just come to pick him up. My mom had promised to mail the guitars to him, as they were still unfinished.

"Bye Austin," I said.

"See ya later, bro," he grinned, patting me on the back. "You'd be a pretty cool bro Will." With that he hopped into the limo and the driver closed the door

"You too," I mumbled to myself as I watched the limo, and my new friend, drive off.

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><p>Sorry if this one seems rather pointless, it's mostly for setting up the characters. I hope it didn't end to early, but I've been in those awkward situations before and that's what it seemed like to me. I hope it was good :) I'll try and update soon<p> 


	2. Dying Young

Dying Young:

Summary: This might seems a bit out of place, but it takes place at the end of the Battle of the Labyrinth. Sorry for jumping from Wills' childhood to Castor's death. Pollux is seventeen, as is Nyssa. A slightly dark and somber drabble, with Nyssa/Pollux.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series belongs to Rick Riordan. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment.

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><p>Pollux walked up to the funeral pyre. Every step resounded through his body, echoing in his hollow core. He stared at the ground as he walked, his face warm from the heat of the torch in front of him. He fixed his eyes on Castor's shroud; it was dark purple with grapevines around the edges. No matter how beautiful it looked, everyone knew what rested under it. Castor. A dead Castor.<p>

He opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out. Pollux tried again, but the words got stuck in his throat. Angry at himself, he snatched the torch. He pointed the flame over the funeral pyre. It exploded in a burst of flame and smoke.

Then he ran. He ran out of the amphitheater. He jumped across the creek. He ran into Cabin Twelve. He threw himself against the side of the doorway and sobbed. He cried for Castor.

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><p>Dionysus scrambled after his son. How indecent for a god to run after his son. But this was Pollux, his now one and only son.<p>

Dionysus took a deep breath as he reached Cabin Twelve. He placed a comforting hand on his sobbing son's shoulder.

"I'm here for you, my son."

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><p>Pollux watched his father as he left. Mr. D. might not be much for family, but he was all Pollux had left. Surprisingly, Dionysus had cheered Pollux up to the point where the latter's thoughts of committing suicide were no longer existent.<p>

Pollux flopped on the bed that used to belong to Castor. As his head it the pillow, it struck something hard.

Pollux reached his hand under the pillow and withdrew it, now holding a tube of toothpicks. The toothpicks Castor used to use. Castor always kept a toothpick hanging out of the corner of his mouth. Most people thought it was because Castor wanted a bad-boy look, or an easy way for people to know which twin he was. Only Pollux knew the real reason for the toothpick. The boys' mother had taught the boys' how to uncork a wine bottle using only a toothpick, before she died. Castor always felt that keeping the toothpick in his mouth was a way for him to be closer to their late mother.

Pollux smiled grimly, remembering better days. Then, looking at the tube again, he threw it angrily across the room, like it was its fault Castor was dead. For the first time since Pollux's mother passed away, eight years, he cried himself to sleep.

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><p>Pollux woke with a start. He glanced out the window. It must have been around four in the morning. Pollux glanced around the cabin, hoping yesterday was just a bad dream.<p>

Greeted with the sad sight of the empty cabin, Pollux crashed back into reality. Castor was still dead.

Pollux straightened himself and slowly walked towards the center of the cabin. He threw open the door to the mini-fridge where the twins hid their self-made wine. Pollux grabbed a bottle of sweet red wine and pulled out the cork with his trembling fingers grasping the corkscrew. He took a sip of the wine, and stared at the bottle.

He took a deep breath and chucked it at the wall with all his might. The wine leaked from the shattered glass, staining the wooden wall. Pollux grabbed another bottle.

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><p>"Pollux!" Nyssa yelled, running towards the hunched-over figure.<p>

He was crying, laying drunk on the ground of his cabin, surrounded by broken glass, cracked toothpicks, and spilled wine. Early-morning sunlight poured into the room, making the thousands of shards sparkle; there was glass from forty bottles of wine. Pollux's hands and legs were covered in small cuts from the glass. His clothes were stained with blood and wine. His eyes were more bloodshot that usual and his face was wet with tears.

"Pollux." She enveloped him in her arms, whispering sweet nothings in his ear. He sobbed into her neck, grieving for his dead twin. They stayed there for what seemed like hours, Nyssa comforting a grieving Pollux.

"I feel dead inside, Nyssa," Pollux finally spoke. "I _am_ dead inside."

She hushed him. "It's okay, Poll. I'm here with you. Castor's still with you. It'll be okay. It'll be okay, Pollux," Nyssa whispered, "I'll always be here for you. I'll love you forever."

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><p>"We'll be okay Pollux," Nyssa whispered. She watched her boyfriend carefully. Pollux looked up at her with tortured eyes.<p>

"I'm not okay," he said in a small voice.

"You're just depressed."

Pollux shook his head. "No. I'm not sad. I'm not depressed. I'm hollow inside. I'm an empty body. I'm half of a whole."

"I'm broken, Nyssa. Castor should be the one alive. Without Castor, I'm broken."

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><p>Pollux glanced up at the sunlight pouring in through the window.<p>

"I'm broken."

"It'll always take time to heal, Pollux," Nyssa whispered. "But there's no reason not to start now."

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><p>Nyssa's words echoed in Pollux's head. Castor had said the same thing after the death of their mother. Pollux knew what he had to do. Standing up, he walked over to the broken jar of toothpicks in the corner.<p>

Pollux dug through the pile of tiny wood to find the one unbroken pick. He stuck it in his mouth, with it hanging half-way in, half-way out, resting in the left corner of his lips.

Pollux picked up a large shard of broken glass and stared at his reflection.

Bloodshot violet eyes. Curly blonde hair. High cheekbones. The classic Roman nose. A subtle butt-chin. The toothpick. He looked just like Castor. Except Pollux had dimples. Castor never did.

Pollux smiled at his reflection. Just a little smile. But a smile, nonetheless.

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><p>I hope it wasn't too confusing, but if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask :)<p> 


	3. Rhythms

Rhythms:

**A/N: My apologies if this gets annoying having the one-shots and drabbles out of chronological order.**

Summary: This is basically Will meeting Leah, one of the OC's. Once again, sorry for those who hate OC's but I needed a daughter of Athena (it'll be important later on), and I wasn't going to use Annabeth because I'm a Percabeth fan.

Takes place the summer before the Lightning Thief. Will, Leah, and Olivia are thirteen; Austin is fourteen. Will and Austin are best friends at this point.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series belongs to Rick Riordan. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment.

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><p><em>One, two. One, two. One, two.<em>

Being a son of Apollo and all, I was naturally attracted to rhythms. I would try to find one in everything, and if the rhythm broke, I would find a new one.

_Left foot. Right foot. Left Foot. Right Foot._

I fell into my usual rhythm as I jogged around the borders of Camp Half-Blood. I was up to a six minute mile, running the ten mile border of the camp. I clutched a half-empty water bottle and a celestial bronze dagger (Just in case if a monster came after me, don't give me the no-running-with-sharp-objects-crap) as I ran, the sweat soaking my camp shirt.

I was running past Thalia's Pine Tree when I heard voices.

"And this is Thalia's pine tree," one voice explained.

"Thalia?" the other asked.

"She was a daughter of Zeus," the first voice said solemnly, "She was turned into a pine tree during a monster attack."

_Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out._

The voices sound far enough away that I didn't think I would need to stop, so I continued my near-sprinting-speed run. But sure enough, as I rounded the hill, my body connected with someone else's and we rolled down the hill at a rapid pace.

_Thu-thunk. Thu-thunk. Thu-thunk._

Honestly, it was all a blur. As we rolled, I tried to stop my full body weight from falling on the person under me. When we stopped, I saw that I had run into a girl about my age, with honey blonde hair and shining grey eyes.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

I couldn't tell if I was hearing my heart or hers pounding. My focus was stuck on her eyes; silver grey pools, calculating and deadly.

"You going to get off me?" the girl finally asked.

"Huh?" I stammered, before realizing our . . . er . . . position. "Sorry." I got to my feet and stuck out a hand to help the girl up.

"I'm really, really sorry," I apologized, "I thought you and your friend were farther away."

She huffed. "Whatever. It's fine." She didn't make any move to get up off the ground.

"So, um, who are you?" I stammered.

She mumbled something that sounded like "The Cooper."

"The Cooper?"

"_Leah_ Cooper. Daughter of Athena," She corrected.

"Nice to meet you Cooper," I grinned. "You a new camper? I haven't seen you around before?"

"Yeah," she sighed, then looked up at the hill. "Here comes Olivia."

I had never been on amazing terms with Olivia Foster, honestly. I had never even met her before Austin had started a whole out war with her (I never understood why or what it was about).

All I knew about her was that she was one of the unclaimed kids from the Hermes Cabin, with bronze colored hair and dark blue eyes, and my age. She hated Austin's guts, so naturally she didn't like me.

_Tweet-tweet. Tweet-tweet. Tweet-tweet._

I really wanted to pay attention to whatever Olivia was yelling at me, but the birds had a rather relaxing rhythm. So I spaced out of the entire conversation until I heard Leah say "I think my ankle's sprained."

This snapped my attention back to her. Being in the Apollo Cabin, I know how to treat a lot of wounds, including sprained ankles. I kneeled down next to her.

"Which ankle is it?" I asked.

"My right."

I looked at the ankle. It was slightly swollen and looked like it was covered in bruises.

"It's about a grade two inversion sprain," I diagnosed, talking to no one in particular.

Leah looked up at me. "So . . ."

" So I'll take you to the infirmary, tape it up, and you might be good to go," I finished.

"Might be?"

I smirked. "You never know. You might have to stay with me forever."

"Are you really flirting with me?"

"Might as well," I teased, "I've got nothing better to do."

I turned to Olivia. "Go tell Chiron what happened."

She bristled with anger but relented. "Fine."

As she sprinted off, I turned to Leah. "We have to see if you can stand."

She took a deep breath and got to her feet. Her eyes watered from pain as she put weight on her foot.

"Come on, get on my back," I said, "I'll piggyback-ride/carry you to the infirmary."

_Swish-swish. Swish-swish. Swish-swish._

I focused on the sound of swishing fabric, trying not to stagger under Leah's weight.

"For a skinny girl, you weigh a ton," I moaned.

"Shut up." She wacked my head. "It's all muscle. At least I'm not sweating like a pig."

"I had just ran five miles, cut me a break."

"Run," she corrected. I laughed and began walking.

_Swi-i-i-sh. Swi-i-i-sh. Swi-i-i-sh._

A gentle breeze stirred the grass and I walked, making it slide against my shoes. After getting to the infirmary, I set her down on the patient bed.

"Stay here, I have to go find some med tape," I ordered her.

"Where exactly would I go with a sprained ankle?" she looked at me.

"I don't really know." I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Real mature," she laughed.

"I always am," I grinned.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

I focused on the sound of water dripping as I dug through the box of medical supplies. Upon finding the tape I needed, I headed back to Leah. I paused in the doorway, watching Leah talk to an all too familiar person.

Leah shot me a look saying _"Help me!"_ as the guy continued to flirt with her. His bleach blonde hair looked white under the lights, his green eyes twinkled, and for some strange reason he was wearing a lab coat.

I gave a silent laugh and went to rescue Leah. "Hey Austin," I greeted my best friend, patting him on the back.

"Hey bro," he smiled "This one yours?"

"Yep."

"Alright, sorry man, I'll back off." He flashed a bright grin and adjusted the collar of his lab coat.

I gave a small laugh at the sight of him. "Nice lab coat."

"Thank you." He stuck his tongue out at me and walked off. "You know how chicks dig doctors." He yelled through the hallway.

"Is that the Austin Olivia was talking about?" she asked me.

"Yep. By the way, I believe your mistake was moving," I said to Leah. She gave a small laugh.

"Why's that?"

"He'll hit on anything that moves, as long as it's 'a hot chick', seriously," I teased.

"Are you calling me hot?" she teased back.

"Maybe," I grinned.

Ri-i-i-p, rip. Ri-i-i-p, rip. Ri-i-i-p, rip.

I listened to the sound of the medical tape stretching as it was pulled off the roll. I tried to ignore the sparks I felt in my hands whenever my skin brushed Leah's ankle.

"Okay, I think you're done," I said, fastening the end tightly.

"Thanks," she smiled, gently getting off the bed and standing up. "You never did tell me your name."

"Will Solace, son of Apollo."

"Well, thank you, Will," she said, giving me a hug and walking away.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

I tried to find a new rhythm to focus on, but I couldn't. My whole body felt like it was on fire. Crap.

Leah had broken my rhythm, and I couldn't find a new one.

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><p>Also thank you to Daughter of Hypnos and Happyace88 for reviewing :)<p>

And the fact that Pollux has dimples and Castor doesn't is just a random facial feature. It'll also be a way for people to tell the two part: Pollux has dimples and Castor has the toothpick. :)


	4. Swimming

Swimming:

Summary: Will and Leah have a rather interesting time at the beach. It takes place the summer of the Lightning Thief, before Luke betrays Percy, but after the trio brings back the bolt. Will and Leah are about fourteen. Will and Austin have become Leah's best friends at this point.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series belongs to Rick Riordan. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment.

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><p>"Hey Leah," I greeted my friend.<p>

"Hey," she said, "Where's Austin?"

"The infirmary. He got a shoulder wound from Capture the Flag yesterday so he has to rest for the next few days."

"Oh." We continued walking in silence for a while. You could probably feel the awkwardness between us.

"Hey, d-do you want to do something today, maybe?" I asked quickly. _Real smooth, Will._

Leah smiled slightly. "Yeah, what, um, did you have in mind?"

"You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

Leah's smile grew. "Of course not."

"Yes you are!" I waggled my finger at her, smiling.

"Fine, I am," Leah laughed.

"So do you want to go down to the beach, maybe?" I said, smiling.

Leah's laugher died down a little, but she still answered. "Sure."

"D'you want to put on a swimsuit or just go in your clothes?" I asked.

"Um, yeah, I'll meet you by beach in ten minutes," Leah answered, running off to the Athena cabin.

"Okay," I mumbled as she ran off, feeling like a loser walking by myself.

I slowly walked to the beach, glancing back at the Athena cabin. A bunch of Aphrodite girls were sunning themselves on the huge rocks by the sand dunes. A couple Apollo guys were tossing a ball around and flirting with the Aphrodite girls.

I sat down on one of the rocks, away from the others, but where I could see Leah when she came down.

One of the Aphrodite girls began walking towards me, wearing nothing but a skimpy pink bikini.

"Drew," I snarled.

"Will, isn't it? How's your friend Austin doing?" she smirked, crossing her arms. With the sunlight, she looked like some evil beauty queen.

"Great, actually, ever since he got rid of you," I spat.

Drew snorted. "Yeah, right. I was the one that dumped him and broke his heart."

"True. But that might've been the best thing you've ever done for him," I snarled, "Since you dumped him, he's gotten even more girlfriends. So thanks." _ I really need to work on my comebacks._

"Whatever."

"Bye Drew." I smirked, as she walked away. I continued baking on the rock, waiting for Leah. I saw her walking down the hill, waving to me. I waved back, a smile on my face.

"Hey," she said nervously.

"You look great," I smiled. She was wearing a green bikini top with the matching bottoms, with a pair of white mesh shorts over the bottoms.

"Thanks," she answer shyly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "You too."

"It's just a pair of cargo shorts and a camp shirt, but thanks."

"What was all that about, with you and Drew?" Leah asked me.

"What d'you mean?"

"She came over to you, you guys argued briefly, and then went back to the other Aphrodite girls, pouting."

"She was pouting?" I grinned, "Good."

"So it was about what?" Leah continued.

I sighed and began. "All kids of Aphrodite have this ritual thing. The first person they fall in love with, they have to break that person's heart."

I paused as an Apollo guy ran by us, pursuing the beach ball. "Unfortunately, Austin fell for Drew and she broke his heart. She had to, of course, but she took an abnormal pleasure in it."

I took a breath and continued. "Ever since then, Austin's become rather ruthless and careless about girls and their feelings. Drew hates Austin because he's had so many girls after her. Austin hates her because she broke his heart. She doesn't like me because I'm Austin's friend, which I'm fine with."

"Oh."

"Hey, don't think about it," I shrugged, "So anyways, d'you want to go swimming?"

"Like in the ocean?" Leah asked unsurely.

"Yeah, it's actually fun, and it's much better than swimming in a pool," I smiled.

I could see Leah was a little unsure, so decided to take my time and coax her in.

"Look, it's fine, really, I'll go in first," I tried to assure her. I stripped off my shirt and shoes and waded into the water. The waves lapped up against my knees.

"See it's fine in the water!" I shouted back to shore.

"You sure?" Leah called back.

I nodded and began wading back to her.

"You okay? It doesn't seem like you want to do this," I asked, staring into her eyes.

"Yeah," she whispered, "I'm just a little scared."

I grabbed her hand gently. "It's fine, it really is. If you don't want to do this, we don't have - "

"No, want to do this."

I nodded and gently pulled her into ankle deep water. The waves were calm, but she still looked worried.

"What's wrong, Cooper?"

"Nothing," she grimaced, "I - I'm just a little scared of jellyfish. I got stung by one when I was little, and I haven't gone into the ocean since."

"Hey, I won't let anything hurt you." I squeezed her hand in reassurance.

Leah glanced over her shoulder. "I think we're being watched."

Sure enough, several Aphrodite girls were giggling and watching us. Drew was still pouting, even as her boyfriend (of the week) smothered her with kisses.

"Just ignore them. Besides they're all going to leave soon," I said.

"Oh, and why is that?"

Just then, the conch shell for dinner sounded, and all the campers began leaving the beach, except us. I grinned.

"Me and Austin skip dinner a lot to come chill around camp. It's better when no one else is around,," I explained, "We pretty much got the timing memorized."

"Do you want to go eat, or go in farther?" I smirked.

"Stay, just gimme a sec', 'kay?"

"Sure." Suddenly, an (evil) idea popped into my head. I pointed at a random spot on the ground and yelled "Spider!"

Leah shrieked and jumped into my arms. I staggered slightly under the extra weight and the loose sand.

"Where?" Leah yelled. I simply laughed and staggered around, into deeper water.

"William I-don't-know-your-middle-name Solace, you're a - a big _meanie_!"

"_Meanie_? Really, that's the best you could do?"

"Yes," Leah hit me as best she could on the shoulder and pouted in my arms.

"Jason."

"What?" Leah said puzzled, looking at me like I had just grew another head.

"Jason. That's my middle name."

"William Jason Solace?" Leah asked, like she was trying my name out.

"Yep," I grinned, "What's yours?"

"My middle name?"

"Uh-hm."

"Kimberly."

"Leah Kimberly Cooper," I said in the same way she had said my name. "It sounds nice."

"Thanks," Leah smiled, "But, um, can you let me down?"

I realized that I had been holding Leah the whole time. She was surprisingly lightweight in the water, and as cheesy as this sounds, fit into my arms perfectly.

"Yeah, sure," I smirked, as I shifted her in my arms, "Do you want me to drop you or set you down?"

"Set me down please," Leah squeaked, clutching me in fear.

"It's okay, I've got you," I soothed, setting her into the water.

Leah made some kind of squeaking noise and burrowed her face into the crook of my collarbone. She stood on my feet with hers and wrapped her arms around my torso, clutching for dear life. The water came up to our waists.

"So not only are you afraid of spiders, but you're afraid of jellyfish?" I laughed.

"Not funny," Leah mumbled into my neck. Then she drew her head back and looked at my face. "I'm sure there's something you're afraid of."

I paled. "Nope."

"Yes there is! Tell me!"

"Or what?"

Leah considered that for a moment. "You're afraid of snakes, aren't you?"

"How - how did you know that?"

"The whole Apollo killing the great Python thing. It's just like Athena and Arachne. Athena kids are afraid of spiders, Apollo kids are afraid of snakes."

"Smart ass."

"Jack ass."

"I try."

Leah and I both laughed, but stopped as we were both dunked by a huge wave.

"You do you want to try swimming in the water?" I asked, spitting out saltwater.

"Okay." Leah peeled herself off of me and stood on her own. "This isn't so - "

She was cut off as a particularly huge wave splashed against her.

"Bad," she finished after coughing up water.

I grabbed her hand. "If the wave is coming at you, turn your back to it. Jump up to avoid getting pulled or hit by the wave. If it's too big to jump, then go underwater for a second."

Leah actually got the hang of it pretty quickly. She was laughing most of the time, so she probably was ignoring her fear of jellyfish. She also stayed close to me, which I had absolutely no objection to. Soon, we were up to our shoulders, just bobbing in the waves.

"This isn't so bad," Leah admitted.

"That's what I was trying to tell you! It's better than a pool isn't it?"

"Definitely."

"See, I know what I'm talking about," I teased. Suddenly, I felt something brush up against my leg.

"Rarely," Leah teased. Then she saw my solemn face and asked, "Will, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said slowly, moving for the shore, "I think something got my leg." Whenever I moved, my leg would flare up in pain. When I got far enough out of the water, I began to run, Leah right behind me.

"Ow, ow," I moaned, plopping down on the sand. I twisted my leg to see the burning part. The area below my left knee was bright red.

"That's a jelly sting, isn't it?" I asked Leah.

"Yeah," Leah whispered, gently touching the skin. That sent a shock through me, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't from the sting.

"You okay with heading to the infirmary? I don't think anyone's there but I know where the pain relief cream is," I said, trying to ignore Leah's soft hand on my leg.

"Okay," Leah nodded, "Do you want some help?"

"Yeah, sure." I wrapped my arm around Leah's shoulders and she helped me to my feet.

"Sorry you got hurt, Will. I had a lot fun today," Leah thanked me.

"Me too." I smiled.

We hobbled together towards the infirmary in silence, until Leah spoke.

"Hey Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Ca - can we do that again sometime? Just us?"

"Not the jellyfish part, right?"

"Not the jellyfish part."

"I'd really like that."

* * *

><p>I've been updating like two one shots every day; this normally won't happen, I'm sorry, but I've been rushing to get the next one done. It'll probably slow down some after the next one. Hope it was good :)<p> 


	5. In Memoriam

In Memoriam:

Summary: A little bit more about Will's past. This was written in memoriam for all those who lost their lives during 9/11 and as a result of it. The facts about the planes hitting the towers are true, but the interviews with the unnamed people, and the character of Jason Solace are made up. If any characters here resemble any people, living or dead, it is purely accidental and coincidental.

Takes place their senior year of high school. Will came back to school so he could graduate from high school, and go to med school, instead of staying at CHB. Will and Leah are about seventeen, Austin is eighteen.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series belongs to Rick Riordan. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment.

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><p>"Now class, I'm sure you all know what day today is," our teacher, Mr. Doyle, began, "Now can anyone tell me what day it is?"<p>

We - Will, Austin and I – were currently sitting in our American History class, listening to our somewhat hilarious teacher that resembled certain biblical characters. Austin was sitting alone in the back left corner, his head resting down on the desk. Mr. Doyle had pegged him as the troublemaking kind and seated him away from everyone else. I sat in the center back of the room, with Will seated to my left, and an empty desk on my right.

"9/11," Austin blurted out, his head still down.

"Correct," Mr. Doyle said, stroking his short beard, "Now you all are here to learn about American History; I honestly do not care whether you were forced to take this class because you want to graduate. Never have, never will care. Anyways, 9/11 is a very dark day in American History. Can anyone tell me what happened on 9/11?"

"The twin towers were hit by two airplanes hijacked by terrorists," a kid said.

"True, but there's more," Mr. Doyle hinted.

I raised my hand. "Yes, Leah," he called on me.

"The Pentagon was also hit by a hijacked plane. Another plane was supposed to hit either the White House or the Capital Building, but the passengers gave their lives to stop the terrorists by trying to retake the plane. It crashed in Pennsylvania."

"Very good," Mr. Doyle nodded, "Today we will be watching a video about 9/11. It has accounts for the survivors, spectators, and family members of the fallen. Please remember to be respectful. I don't want any talking or texting. I don't give a crap if you just got ten new friend requests and have to accept them. Just watch the video. Thousands of people died that day; I think you kids can spend an hour watching the video."

"Mr. Barnes, the lights please," Mr. Doyle ordered. The kid by the door got up from his seat and flicked the lights off. The room was pitch black until the projector popped the video up on the board, but even then it was hard to see anything but the video.

_Slow and somber music began to play. Footage of the twin towers, ten years ago, began rolling. The narrator started to talk._

"_September 9, 2001. It seemed to be a day like any other, except this day would become the darkest day in American History."_

_The narrator continued to talk about how this seemed to be a normal day, also incorporating segments from the family members' interviews._

"_Then at 8:45 the first twin tower, the north, was hit," the narrator spoke, "It was hit with a hijacked 767 commercial jet airplane. The building began smoking, which would make a rooftop rescue impossible later. Workers in the building were confused. Many people began dialing 911."_

_A segment for a survivor's interview came up. She began talking. "I-it was just. . . horrific. It-it sounded as if the world . . . were being ripped in half."_

I watched the video with interest. I noticed my desk started shaking faintly, as if someone was rocking it back and forth. I looked around but it was pointless; you couldn't see anything in the dark, so I focused back on the video.

"_My wife," one man began, "She called me and said 'What just happened? It felt like we just had an earthquake. The whole tower shook.' And I said 'Nothing, honey we didn't have an earthquake.' And then I turned on the TV."_

_The narrator began to talk again. "Eighteen minutes after the north tower was hit, a second plane hit the south tower at 9:03. The jet fuel caused a massive explosion, killing hundreds instantly and lighting the building on fire."_

I heard a quiet, sharp intake of breath. Then came a rapid chain of near silent exhales. Someone near me was crying.

_The wife of one of the men on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania was now talking. "I –I heard the silence on the other end of the phone, and I knew he was dead. The hardest thing was knowing I had to tell my kids. I told them that daddy wouldn't be coming home." At this point the woman was crying. "And my son, he said, 'Can I call daddy and say goodbye?' and I said 'No sweetie, they don't have phones up in heaven.' And my son, he just looked at me and asked 'Is daddy dead?' and all I could do was nod."_

"Stop, stop it, stop it," I heard the whisper, "I don't want to hear any damn more." I reached over and laid my hand on Will's back, desperate for a little reassurance. I felt him shake, and shake, and shake. Will was the one crying.

"Stop it," he whispered one more time, before shouting, "STOP IT! I don't want to hear it anymore!"

Mr. Doyle bolted up from his chair and paused the video. He pulled open the shades to the courtyard window. We were up on the third floor of the high school, but it was rainy out, so a faint blue light filled the room.

I looked over and saw Will, his forehead resting on the desk, his elbows propping his arms up. His hands were both clenched over the back of his neck, and his whole body shook from his sobs.

He took a deep raspy breath and began to talk. "M-my mom, she left to go live in England with her new husband Nigel, a few months ago. Before she left, she told me I had an Uncle Jason who was a firefighter in New York City. He was her adopted younger brother. I was named after him, but the last time he had seen my mom was before I was born, so he didn't know about me yet."

Will took another deep breath. "S-so I went to New York to see if I could find him. People had no record of him since 2001. On my way to City Hall, I had wandered past the 9/11 m-memorial. It gave me the idea to check the firehouses in N-New York, because Jason had been a firefighter. The second 'house I went to was the one he used to work at."

Will had stopped crying but was still shaking badly. "J-Jason had died in the South Tower. He had been killed when the tower collapsed. H-he had been helping an old lady get out of the building. She had to use a cane to walk, so it was impossible for her get down the stairs. Jason had picked her up and carried her down sixty-three flights of stairs. The old lady told him to leave her and save himself but he wouldn't do it. They had reached the bottom floor when a steel beam had fallen and crushed them."

Will's voice was hollow and tears were silently running down his face. "It was like someone came up to me and said 'Hey you have an uncle that you were named after, but he didn't know you existed. By the way, he died in 9/11, only moments away from escaping the building.' I never even got to meet him. . ."

Everyone in the class looked visibly stunned. It was Mr. Doyle who spoke up first. "I'm sorry for your loss William. If you would like to go to the nurse's office, the guidance office, or even just step out in the hall and take a breather, you may do so. Miss Cooper may accompany you if you wish."

Will stood up soundlessly and grabbed my hand lightly. Austin looked like he was about ready to jump out of his seat and come with us, but he knew that's not what Will needed right now. We left the class as Mr. Doyle asked if anyone else had 9/11 stories to tell.

"I'm so sorry, Will," I said to him. He leaned his back up against the wall, and slid down it. I sat next to him and gave Will a hug. He started silently sobbing into my neck.

"It's okay, It's okay," I mumbled into his ear, gently holding his head.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," he confessed.

"I could care less about that right now," I said, smoothing down his hair. We stayed that way for at least half an hour.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom and wash up," he told me, "Thanks for being there for me." He stood up then helped me up.

"Oh and take this," he said, taking off his basketball sweatshirt. It was navy with the writing in white. It was rather obvious it was his because back had "Solace" and 4, his number on it.

"Why?" I asked, taking it.

"I kind of got your shirt wet from crying," he smiled sheepishly.

I looked down to see he was right. "Oh, yeah. Thanks Will. Come back to class soon." I took the sweatshirt and put it on, watching as he left to find a bathroom.

I walked back into the class and listened to one of my classmates tell a story about how they remembered their parent's pulling them out of school when 9/11 happened. Five minutes later, Will walked back in.

He looked as if nothing ever happened. But when he looked me in the eyes, you could tell something did.

* * *

><p>Doing this one-shot was really important to me. I was one of the thousands of people who lost family that day, and this is kinda my way of honoring all people who lost their lives. :)<p>

We Will Never Forget.


	6. PDA

PDA:

Summary: A little Nyssa/Pollux drabble. Pollux is maybe just a bit too loving. Set after Castor dies, but before the Last Olympian.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series belongs to Rick Riordan. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment.

* * *

><p>She hates it. She hates all of the public displays of his affection.<p>

Every time he kisses her, she stiffens.

She feels bad about it, with his twin brother dead and all. It's just – she almost doesn't want all his love.

She tenses at every hug. She squirms at every loving touch.

It's not that she doesn't love him – no oh, quite the opposite. It's just so annoying, all his public displays of affection.

Apparently, in Arizona, the Maricopa County Public School Department thinks it's annoying too. Because when he simply kisses her cheek in front of a teacher, they are both given a week of detention for unlawful PDA.

She snaps and breaks up with him because he's too loving, and she just can't handle all of the sudden affection. She breaks his heart, and even though she doesn't know it, her own heart breaks as well.

Three days, nine hours, twenty-two minutes, and fourteen seconds pass by. Not that's she's counting or anything.

Sitting at a desk, bored out of her mind, on her last day of detention, she realizes something.

She misses his voice. He's said "I love you" to her so many times that it's etched into her brain.

She looks over at him, snacking on some grapes he's conjured out of the air. Later she'll apologize and they'll make up, simply because they love each other.

He'll whisper "I love you" in her ear again, but this time she'll whisper back.

Because no matter how many times he says "I love you" to her, she knows he means it every single time.

And to her, that's the best thing about him.


	7. Violet Eyes

Violet Eyes:

Summary: A little Pollux/Pollux's son and Pollux/Castor drabble. Set from Pollux's POV, when he's about in his late thirties or early forties and his son is a teenager. Set way after Castor dies and way after the Last Olympian.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series belongs to Rick Riordan. I do not own any of this; this is purely fan fiction and is made for entertainment.

* * *

><p>He misses his brother, everyday and every night.<p>

His twin is gone and it feels like half of him is gone too.

He marries his best friend and they have a son.

They name the son after his fallen brother; Castor Rowan Bacco II.

He grows up.

But Pollux feels guilty whenever he looks at his son.

Their son, with dark hair like his mother's, curly like his father's. Their son, built like a tank; tall and burly, but dark and handsome. Their son, with the lilac eyes of the first Castor's.

When Pollux looks at his son, he only sees the violet eyes. The violet eyes of Castor, his twin.

Whenever Pollux looks into his son's eyes, he sees his dead brother, who he misses dearly. But whatever he does, he can't see his son in those eyes. He only sees his brother. He doesn't see his son.

And it breaks his heart.

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><p>Also, thank you to Will Solace (awesome username!), fanofdeliciousflavor522, HappyAce88, and girlreadsalot for reviewing. Sorry it took so long, I've been grounded, if you guys care. I'll try and update one more by the end of this week. Hope it was good :)<p> 


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